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Vidarbha’s Shrinking Farms: Inside the Fragmented Fields and Changing Rural Landscape

Vidarbha’s Shrinking Farms: Inside the Fragmented Fields and Changing Rural Landscape
Vidarbha’s Shrinking Farms: Inside the Fragmented Fields and Changing Rural Landscape

Agricultural land ownership patterns in Vidarbha reveal a concerning trend that has fundamentally altered farming practices across the region.


The average farm size has declined dramatically from 4.28 hectares in 1970-71 to just 1.08 hectares in 2015-16, making Vidarbha's holdings even smaller than the state average of 1.34 hectares.


This fragmentation has created a complex web of challenges that affect everything from mechanisation to crop yields, fundamentally reshaping the agricultural landscape of eastern Maharashtra.


The transformation extends beyond mere statistics. Of the approximately 45 lakh farmers in Vidarbha, over 86 per cent now fall into the small and marginal categories, holding less than two hectares each. This proportion exceeds Maharashtra's state average of 78.4 per cent, highlighting the region's particular vulnerability to land fragmentation pressures.


Inheritance Patterns Drive Systematic Land Division


Land fragmentation in Vidarbha follows predictable patterns rooted in inheritance laws and demographic pressures.


The Maharashtra Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act of 1947 was designed to prevent uneconomic land division, yet the reality on the ground tells a different story.

Traditional inheritance practices continue to divide ancestral properties among male heirs, creating increasingly smaller plots with each generation.

The process manifests in two distinct ways: subdivision and fragmentation. Subdivision occurs when land passes from one generation to the next, typically dividing equally among sons. Fragmentation compounds this problem by scattering individual holdings across village boundaries.


A farmer who originally owned four one-acre fields now sees his four sons each receiving one-fourth of each field, creating sixteen separate fragments from what was once four consolidated holdings.


Population pressure intensifies this process. The region's rural population density, combined with limited industrial development, forces multiple generations to remain dependent on the same land base. Each marriage, inheritance, and family division further reduces individual plot sizes, creating holdings that become increasingly uneconomic to cultivate.


The Akola district gazetteer documents how fragmentation creates specific agricultural challenges. Farmers must move equipment between scattered plots, increasing labour costs and time requirements.


Boundary disputes become common, leading to expensive litigation that further erodes farm profitability. The proportion of land lost to boundary markings increases as plots become smaller, reducing the actual cultivable area available to farmers.


Recent government data reveals the extent of this challenge. Between 2010-11 and 2015-16, Maharashtra witnessed an 11.58 per cent increase in the number of operational holdings, indicating accelerated land division during this period.


In Vidarbha specifically, this trend has created a situation where mechanisation becomes economically unfeasible for most farmers, as the fixed costs of equipment cannot be justified across such small areas.


Economic Pressures Compound Fragmentation Effects


The economic implications of shrinking farm sizes extend far beyond simple area calculations.


Small holdings face proportionally higher input costs, reduced economies of scale, and limited access to institutional credit.

In Vidarbha, where 93 per cent of cultivated land depends on rainfall, these constraints become particularly acute.


Mechanisation statistics illustrate this challenge clearly. Only 60 to 70 per cent of major agricultural operations like ploughing and harvesting utilise mechanised equipment, with the remainder still dependent on manual labour.


The primary reason lies in plot size limitations that make mechanised equipment either physically impractical or economically unviable. A tractor suitable for five-hectare holdings becomes an expensive liability when operated across plots measuring less than one hectare.


Cotton cultivation, dominant across 14 lakh hectares in Vidarbha, demonstrates how fragmentation impacts productivity. Despite widespread adoption of Bt cotton varieties, yields remain 15 per cent below the state average and 46 per cent below national levels.


The inability to achieve economies of scale in input procurement, combined with the inefficiencies of operating across fragmented plots, contributes significantly to these productivity gaps.


Financial institutions recognise these limitations through their lending patterns. Analysis of crop loan allocations reveals that farmers in Vidarbha typically receive Rs 25,000 per hectare for traditional crops like cotton, soybean, and pulses, compared to Rs 2.80 lakh for farmers in western Maharashtra growing high-value crops like grapes and sugarcane. This disparity reflects not just crop choice but also the underlying economics of small-scale farming operations.


The 2008 loan waiver scheme highlighted how land fragmentation affects policy implementation.


Despite Vidarbha being the epicentre of agrarian distress, only 16.34 lakh farmers qualified for debt relief out of approximately 45 lakh farming families in the region.


The eligibility criteria based on land holdings excluded many distressed farmers who owned plots larger than two hectares but operated under equally challenging conditions.

Input costs demonstrate another dimension of the fragmentation challenge. Small farmers typically purchase seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides in smaller quantities, paying higher per-unit prices than their counterparts with larger holdings.


Transportation costs for moving inputs between fragmented plots further increase operational expenses, reducing the already narrow profit margins characteristic of dryland farming.


Government Interventions Face Implementation Challenges


Policy responses to land fragmentation have evolved considerably since the 1947 Prevention of Fragmentation Act, yet implementation remains problematic.


The Maharashtra government's 2025 decision to regularise fragmented plots up to one guntha reflects the practical impossibility of enforcing anti-fragmentation laws in the face of demographic and economic pressures.

The recent formation of a four-member committee to address fragmentation issues demonstrates ongoing policy attention to this challenge. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule's announcement that over 50 lakh families face legal complications due to fragmented holdings underscores the widespread nature of this problem.


The proposed Standard Operating Procedure aims to provide legal recognition to subdivided plots while preventing future fragmentation, though critics question whether such measures address underlying economic pressures.


Agricultural census data from 2015-16 reveal that Maharashtra experienced the third-highest increase in operational holdings nationally at 11.58 per cent, indicating accelerated fragmentation despite existing legal frameworks.


This trend suggests that current policies fail to address the economic incentives driving land division, particularly in regions like Vidarbha, where alternative livelihood opportunities remain limited.


The land ceiling acts, originally designed to promote social equity, now create additional complications for agricultural efficiency. Current limits of 54 acres for dry crop land and 18 acres for irrigated land prevent farmers from achieving optimal scale economies. When government irrigation projects convert dry land to irrigated status, farmers may lose up to 65 per cent of their holdings due to revised ceiling limits, further fragmenting agricultural operations.


Consolidation efforts under various state programs have achieved limited success in Vidarbha compared to other regions. Unlike Uttar Pradesh, where consolidation programs have succeeded in creating viable farming units, Maharashtra's SAT conditions and complex land ownership patterns have hindered similar progress.


The voluntary nature of most consolidation schemes, combined with disputes over land quality and location, has prevented meaningful reorganisation of fragmented holdings.


Recent initiatives like the farm pond program, while addressing water scarcity concerns, operate within the constraints imposed by fragmented land ownership.


The program's requirement for individual farmer participation means that watershed development occurs piecemeal rather than through comprehensive landscape-level planning that might benefit from consolidated holdings.


The agricultural machinery promotion schemes similarly face limitations imposed by land fragmentation.


Subsidies for tractors and implements often prove ineffective when farmers cannot utilise equipment efficiently across multiple small, scattered plots.

Custom hiring services have emerged as a partial solution, though these arrangements face their own challenges related to timing, availability, and cost-effectiveness for very small operations.


Productivity and Livelihood Implications


The cascade effects of decreasing farm sizes manifest most clearly in agricultural productivity metrics and farmer livelihoods.


Research conducted across western Vidarbha reveals that 52.5 per cent of small and marginal farmers experience low livelihood sustainability indices, primarily due to constraints imposed by limited natural, social, and financial capital availability.


Crop yield data demonstrates the productivity penalties associated with small holdings. Cotton yields have declined from seven quintals per acre to as low as 2-3 quintals in many areas, while soybean production has similarly dropped from five quintals to 1-2 quintals per acre.


These declines reflect multiple factors, but the inability to implement optimal farming practices across fragmented holdings plays a significant role.

The shift towards alternative crops reflects farmers' attempts to maximise returns from limited land areas. Maize cultivation has gained popularity due to higher per-unit returns, yielding approximately 25 quintals per acre compared to 5-8 quintals for cotton or soybean.


However, this transition creates new challenges, particularly increased vulnerability to crop damage from wild animals that find smaller, scattered plots easier to access and damage.

Employment patterns reveal another dimension of the fragmentation challenge.


Small holdings cannot provide year-round employment for farm families, forcing members to seek alternative income sources. The seasonal nature of dryland agriculture, combined with limited plot sizes, means that most small farmers can cultivate only during the kharif season, leaving land fallow for the remainder of the year.


Agricultural research from the region indicates that fragmented holdings face particular difficulties in implementing integrated farming systems that might improve overall productivity. Livestock integration, water harvesting, and diversified cropping patterns all require minimum scale thresholds that many small holders cannot achieve independently.

The social implications extend beyond immediate economic concerns.


Fragmented holdings limit farmers' ability to invest in soil improvement, water conservation, or other long-term productivity enhancements. The shortened planning horizons associated with small-scale, subsistence-oriented farming operations discourage investments that might pay off over multiple seasons or years.


Technical extension services also face challenges in reaching farmers with fragmented holdings effectively. Demonstration plots, training programs, and technology transfer initiatives often assume minimum farm sizes that many Vidarbha farmers cannot achieve. This creates a feedback loop where small holders receive less technical support, further limiting their ability to improve productivity within existing land constraints.


The phenomenon of decreasing farm holdings in Vidarbha represents a fundamental challenge to agricultural sustainability and rural livelihoods. The decline from 4.28 hectares in 1970-71 to 1.08 hectares in 2015-16 reflects deep-seated structural pressures that continue to reshape the region's agricultural landscape.


With over 86 per cent of farmers now operating on less than two hectares, the region faces unprecedented challenges in maintaining viable farming systems while supporting growing rural populations.

The interconnection between land fragmentation, reduced productivity, limited mechanisation, and constrained economic opportunities creates a cycle that policy interventions have yet to successfully address, making this trend one of the most critical agricultural challenges facing Vidarbha today.


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The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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